#Microblog Monday 186: Expand or Contract?
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We divide our trips into expansion trips (expand your mind or expand out into the world) and contraction trips (contract into a cozy cocoon of relaxation). So going to London is an expansion trip, and we generally come back from those trips happily different but exhausted. Going to the beach is a contraction trip, and we generally come back from those trips the same but rested.
The twins and I have a block of time coming up where Josh is out-of-town and we don’t have any other commitments. “Let’s go to the beach,” I said. THEN I found out about this museum about an hour from the beach that details the old communities that existed on the barrier islands. “Let’s also go to the museum!” I mean, it’s just one more hour of driving. For something super cool.
But the Wolvog pointed out that going to the museum defeats the purpose of going to the beach. That we wouldn’t get true expansion because we’re talking about doing something new for about four hours of our usual beach trip but we also wouldn’t get true contraction because we wouldn’t be hanging out on the beach, relaxing and reading.
Point taken.
Do you prefer expansion-type trips or contraction-like trips?
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12 comments
I like the terminology you use. I also distingui, and call them a Tour, or a Holiday. A beach break to Thailand is a Holiday (in our sense of the word). A trip around multiple destinations is a Tour, but would fit the expansion category you use. Sometimes we’ll combine both Tour and Holiday elements, but then it’s still a Tour. Oh, and visiting relatives doesn’t usually fit the Holiday category either! It’s something different again.
There’s a time for both. I’d hate to only Holiday and never Tour, and vice versa.
I never thought of it like that, but I like it!
And why not both?
Why can’t the trip be both?? I would love a trip with a little expansion followed by a lot of contraction. If I had to choose only one, where’re life is right now I would choose contraction hands down.
I had never thought about it like that but I like the terms.
Personally, I prefer the contraction type trips but usually our trips are both together, especially since we tack them onto work trips.
We seldom take any kind of trip- it’s a bit of a downside of our current WAH jobs. Neither of us can take much time off at once, and planning it together? The stars have to align perfectly. Last time we tried it we had been “on vacation” for 3 hours and ended up in the ER. So perhaps it’s the lack of opportunity but I’d go for contraction. We have so little downtime I don’t want to expand, I just want to rest and relax! LOL I see value in both but I need the downtime more right now
I’m with others — why can’t a trip be both? I don’t take many trips these days, but when I used to, most of my vacations were a combination of what you would call “expansion” and “contraction.”
I finally have a way to explain vacations! I like both types and would argue that it is possible to have expansion and contraction moments in a vacation. It’s just a matter of what the theme will be for the overall trip
Last year my husband and I went on a trip to celebrate our first visit to the USA – back in 1977 when we were posted to Washington State as Exchange Teachers.
It was expansive when we stood in awe under the waterfall in Yosemite, it was contracting when we holed ourselves up in the RV a simple supper and a bottle of wine …
Both were both beautiful times.
I like both. They serve different purposes. I get that. However, when it’s a loooooonnnng trip, I need to build in some “contraction.” I need to process all of the “expansion.”
I love trips that involve both!
I like both! and, like others above, I don’t see why you can’t have elements of both in one trip. 😉 Doing one kind of trip exclusively and never doing the other kind would get to be boring after a while, I think.
That is such a great way to look at it!